UC Davis Unveils New Platform to Decode Extracellular Vesicle Proteins

Researchers develop VESSEL system to understand the biological functions of EV surface proteins and their therapeutic potential.

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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UC Davis biomedical engineers have developed a new platform called VESSEL (Vesicle Engineering Systems using Synthetic Expression and Loading) that allows them to isolate and study the specific functions of extracellular vesicle (EV) surface proteins. EVs play a crucial role in intercellular communication, tissue repair, and immune health, but their surface proteins are not well understood. The VESSEL system uses cell-free systems to rapidly produce individual EV surface proteins, enabling researchers to test their specific functions in isolation. This research could pave the way for engineering EVs as next-generation therapeutics for conditions like neurological disorders.

Why it matters

Extracellular vesicles are an important part of the body's messaging system, but their surface proteins and the specific functions they serve are not well defined. By developing the VESSEL platform to isolate and study individual EV surface proteins, researchers can start to build a 'biological dictionary' to understand how these proteins dictate the roles and therapeutic potential of EVs. This knowledge could unlock new ways to harness EVs as targeted drug delivery vehicles for treating a range of diseases.

The details

The VESSEL platform uses cell-free systems to rapidly produce individual EV surface proteins, allowing researchers to test their specific functions in isolation. In the study, the team profiled the protein distribution of EVs derived from mesenchymal stem cells and found that the CADM1 protein, previously unstudied in this context, shows promise for ensuring vesicle intake by cells. This type of targeted insight into EV surface proteins could enable biomedical engineers to 'build' EVs as LEGO-like therapeutics for specific purposes, such as treating neurological disorders.

  • The research findings were published in the journal ACS Nano on February 24, 2026.

The players

Aijun Wang

Chancellor's Fellow and professor of biomedical engineering and surgery at UC Davis, and a corresponding author of the study.

Cheemeng Tan

Chancellor's Fellow and professor of biomedical engineering at UC Davis, and a corresponding author of the study.

Tanner Henson

Biomedical engineering Ph.D. student at UC Davis, co-mentored by Wang and Tan, and the first author on the paper.

VESSEL

The Vesicle Engineering Systems using Synthetic Expression and Loading platform developed by the UC Davis team to isolate and study individual EV surface proteins.

Extracellular Vesicles (EVs)

Tiny biological bubbles that carry nucleic acids and proteins between cells, playing an essential role in tissue repair, neuroprotection and immune health.

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What they’re saying

“EV-mediated intercellular communication is a very powerful system that controls many physiological and pathophysiological phenomena. We know that EVs are therapeutically useful. But how do we define what dictates their functions?”

— Aijun Wang, Chancellor's Fellow and professor of biomedical engineering and surgery (Mirage News)

“The design of the system really makes it generalizable, meaning, if you have a cell-free system, then you can already go and make EV surface proteins.”

— Cheemeng Tan, Chancellor's Fellow and professor of biomedical engineering (Mirage News)

“VESSEL will enable us to understand EV-based therapeutics more deeply and much more tangibly than ever before. Translation: that's a bigger picture. We're moving towards various translational applications of VESSEL, especially in treating neurological disorders.”

— Tanner Henson, Biomedical engineering Ph.D. student (Mirage News)

What’s next

The researchers plan to continue exploring the therapeutic potential of engineered extracellular vesicles, particularly for treating neurological disorders, using the insights gained from the VESSEL platform.

The takeaway

The development of the VESSEL system represents a significant step forward in understanding the biological functions of extracellular vesicle surface proteins, which could unlock new possibilities for engineering EVs as targeted drug delivery vehicles for a range of diseases.